There's been a lot of talk today about the National Association of Evangelical's criticism of certain ministers' denunciations of Islam. Here's the link from the Institute on Religion and Democracy:Evangelical Leaders Meet to Discuss Christian-Muslim Relations. And another link from Christianity Today's Weblog.
Also, the Institute on Religion and Democracy has release a guide for Muslim-Christian dialog.
One thing the IRD author, Alan Wisdom, notes is that it is appropriate and necessary to "Give testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is our duty to do so. Ultimately, Christ himself is the greatest blessing that we could offer to our Muslim interlocutors. The 2002 Oxford Consultation on the Future of Anglicanism noted helpfully: “Saint Paul uses dialogue and Saint Luke uses dialogomai to describe evangelism. It may involve arguing, explaining, proving, proclaiming and persuading (Acts 17:1-4, 17)” (see www.wycliffe.ox.ac.uk for the consultation reports). It is our hope that numbers of Muslims would be persuaded by the testimony of Christians whom they encounter."
However, he also says it is inappropriate and damaging to "Attempt to meld Christianity and Islam, pretending that they have the same basic teachings and that the differences between the two are merely trivial points of theology."
There are many other points, recommended reading.
Posted by joelfuhrmann at May 9, 2003 09:14 PM